Stereotypes In Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin
Suffering and Triumph
Society no matter where or regarding what is filled with stereotypes. Certain areas of the world are pinned for their negativities and hinder the characters of the people who live in those areas. Harlem is an example of that. It is a cultured city with many different subcultures from that of drugs, to artists, and even fashion. Harlem isn't all dark and dangerous, but it is also full of life and culture. Living in the city automatically associates a person with its negative subcultures. And people struggle to find their own identity outside of what society assumes. In Sonny's blues, James Baldwin uses society stereotypes of the black community to portray Sonny's struggling addiction, suffering from his decisions, his estranged relationships with his family, and his passion for music, to show Sonny's struggle for identity in society.
Sonny's struggling addiction is shown all throughout Sonny's Blues. When the narrator has certain flashbacks he tells a story of when one of Sonny's friends visited outside the school courtyard. It was as if you could see Sonny's struggles through his friends. The man was "high and raggy" and "shaking as though he were going to fall apart" (126). He was described in a …show more content…
Baldwin style of writing can be related to biblical stories of suffering and triumph. In the end, although his parents were not there to see it, Sonny found himself in his music. He used all the negativity that he let control him in the past and turned it into a positive outlet. He addressed his addiction by channeling in areas where he could create a new identity for himself. Sonny’s struggle with addiction, the estranged family relationships he amended and the negativity of Harlem didn’t hold him back from identifying himself as a musician, who survived the
Society no matter where or regarding what is filled with stereotypes. Certain areas of the world are pinned for their negativities and hinder the characters of the people who live in those areas. Harlem is an example of that. It is a cultured city with many different subcultures from that of drugs, to artists, and even fashion. Harlem isn't all dark and dangerous, but it is also full of life and culture. Living in the city automatically associates a person with its negative subcultures. And people struggle to find their own identity outside of what society assumes. In Sonny's blues, James Baldwin uses society stereotypes of the black community to portray Sonny's struggling addiction, suffering from his decisions, his estranged relationships with his family, and his passion for music, to show Sonny's struggle for identity in society.
Sonny's struggling addiction is shown all throughout Sonny's Blues. When the narrator has certain flashbacks he tells a story of when one of Sonny's friends visited outside the school courtyard. It was as if you could see Sonny's struggles through his friends. The man was "high and raggy" and "shaking as though he were going to fall apart" (126). He was described in a …show more content…
Baldwin style of writing can be related to biblical stories of suffering and triumph. In the end, although his parents were not there to see it, Sonny found himself in his music. He used all the negativity that he let control him in the past and turned it into a positive outlet. He addressed his addiction by channeling in areas where he could create a new identity for himself. Sonny’s struggle with addiction, the estranged family relationships he amended and the negativity of Harlem didn’t hold him back from identifying himself as a musician, who survived the